Gennaro Giudetti, who worked in the sector with UN missions, claims that the bombing has not stopped and humanitarian aid remains under strict control, against this backdrop, the Israeli prime minister joins the US-led international initiative to govern Gaza.
Saved equipment and supply shortages
Italian humanitarian worker Gennaro Giudetti, who was in Gaza in 2024 and 2025 as part of missions for the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation, said that despite the ceasefire announced in October, strikes on the sector continue, and humanitarian aid remains critically insufficient.
The logistician said he worked in June-July 2024 and then from February to September 2025, including in Deir al-Balah, an area where international humanitarian organisations are based. His team provided medicines and medical equipment to hospitals throughout the sector.
Call for expanded humanitarian access
According to Giudetti, assistance was provided in particular to the International Committee of the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières and the Italian NGO Emergency, as well as to Gaza’s public health facilities.
Giudetti described the work as a constant response to the aftermath of air strikes. “If we understood that a hospital could be targeted, we tried to evacuate the equipment in advance. After the strikes, we assessed what could be saved and transported it to other facilities,” he said.
Among the facilities he visited was the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, which had been hit by Israeli strikes and had previously been used as a military base. According to him, the team managed to remove oxygen machines, cylinders and concentrators — equipment whose import into Gaza, he claims, is significantly restricted by the Israeli authorities. It was later transferred to Al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals, where it was used in intensive care units.
Giudetti left the sector shortly before the ceasefire was imposed in October 2025. According to him, the situation in the spring and summer of that year was “absolutely unbearable”: humanitarian supplies had virtually stopped, and the attacks continued.
Media attention has waned, but the attacks have not stopped
After the truce was announced, the intensity of the attacks decreased, but they did not stop completely, he said. “The bombings continue — they are just less talked about now. Media attention has significantly waned, but that does not mean the strikes have ended,” the humanitarian worker said.
Giudetti stressed that supplies to the sector are controlled by Israel and that more generators, batteries, tents and medicines are needed to prevent further humanitarian collapse. “There is no electricity in Gaza. Without a massive increase in supplies, it will be impossible to cope with the disaster,” he said, adding that the restoration of the destroyed infrastructure must begin as soon as possible.
Giudetti also sharply criticised the European Union’s position, saying that over the past two years, “international law and international organisations have died in Gaza.” In his view, the EU’s failure to impose sanctions on Israel undermines the universality of international norms.
Washington’s new initiative
Against this backdrop, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement for his country to join the international “Board of Peace” council on Gaza, an initiative promoted by US President Donald Trump. The signing took place in Washington in the presence of Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of a meeting between the leaders at the White House on February 11.
The idea of creating the council was announced by Trump in January as part of a settlement plan that also provides for the deployment of international forces in the sector. The executive committee includes, in particular, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
According to media reports, the US administration has asked countries seeking a permanent seat on the council to contribute at least $1 billion.
Giudetti, who is currently unable to enter Gaza, claims that humanitarian workers are under strict control and risk being expelled for speaking out publicly. “I hope to return there one day without having to get anyone’s permission,” he said.
